Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 4, 2021

1,409 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Winter Livestock Auction report →

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $143.51/cwt ≈ $1,098/hd at 765 lb · 184 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $166.43/cwt ≈ $949/hd at 570 lb · 64 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $133.25/cwt ≈ $1,107/hd at 831 lb · 50 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,409 582 711
Feeder cattle 920 152 245
Slaughter cattle 262 138 118
Replacement cattle 227 292 348

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday slaughter cows and bulls mostly steady with feeder calves lower undertones noted from thin fleshed to fleshy. Demand moderate. Couple baby calves 105-120 lbs 250.00 to 400.00 per head.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 15 172.50 $172.50 $483 —
510–522 517 29 158.75–174.00 $163.89 $847 -6.11
566–579 570 64 165.00–167.00 $166.43 $949 —
622–625 622 45 162.00–168.00 $167.20 $1,040 —
732–743 734 36 141.50–142.00 $141.58 $1,039 —
759–768 765 184 139.50–144.50 $143.51 $1,098 —
831 831 50 133.25 $133.25 $1,107 —
870 870 11 132.00 $132.00 $1,148 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
354 354 50 173.00 $173.00 $612 —
417 417 10 163.50 $163.50 $682 —
484 484 7 161.00 $161.00 $779 —
510–523 518 13 154.50–157.00 $156.05 $808 —
627 627 6 150.00 $150.00 $940 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
547 547 12 151.00 $151.00 $826 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
558–591 570 16 121.50–128.00 $124.03 $707 —
603–645 624 25 129.00–139.00 $133.27 $832 —
687 687 45 143.00 $143.00 $982 —
889 889 6 115.50 $115.50 $1,027 —
947 947 37 91.50 $91.50 $867 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
329 329 34 165.00 $165.00 $543 —
418–444 432 48 152.50–157.75 $154.94 $669 —
464 464 6 147.00 $147.00 $682 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
481 481 16 142.75 $142.75 $687 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508 508 13 155.00 $155.00 $787 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1160 1062 85-90% 14 50.00–55.50 $53.07 $564 -3.86
1030–1077 1069 85-90% 6 48.00–49.00 $48.84 $522 -8.09
1055–1180 1120 85-90% 25 57.00–63.00 $59.42 $666 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1430 1274 80-85% 36 50.00–59.50 $56.22 $716 —
1325–1492 1392 80-85% 9 62.00–65.00 $64.09 $892 +0.26
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1469–1705 1507 75-80% 9 59.00–61.00 $60.10 $906 —
1537–1620 1565 75-80% 3 64.00–68.00 $65.38 $1,023 -0.47

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1675–2150 2006 8 90.50–94.50 $92.01 $1,846 —
1705–2190 2077 5 81.00–89.00 $85.42 $1,774 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
720–866 819 (<2 yrs)Open 20 106.00–110.00 $107.18 $878
681–972 842 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 16 87.00–97.00 $91.15 $767
870–1135 998 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 12 71.00–83.00 $78.54 $784
970–1205 1075 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 13 51.00–56.00 $54.94 $591
875–1520 1179 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 58 58.50–66.50 $61.29 $723
1225–1355 1282 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 8 63.50–65.00 $64.09 $822

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1240 1240 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,275.00 $1,275.00
1255 1255 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 4 800.00 $800.00
1288–1351 1308 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 14 1,200.00–1,260.00 $1,233.76
970–1404 1366 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 38 785.00–925.00 $897.03
1250–1510 1395 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 12 950.00–1,150.00 $1,031.08
1398 1398 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 2 910.00 $910.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
915 915 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 7 950.00 $950.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1255–1305 1280 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 1,550.00–1,600.00 $1,575.49 —
1264–1610 1351 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 8 1,350.00–1,385.00 $1,360.43 —
1528 1528 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 8 1,225.00 $1,225.00 —
1561 1561 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 1,475.00 $1,475.00 —
1627 1627 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,300.00 $1,300.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.